The clevis is a well known mechanical device for interconnecting mechanical members. It most generally comprises a shaft which divides at one end into a pair of tangs that couple to a cooperative member, sometimes by use of a clevis pin.
An objective of the present invention is the design of a clevis which provides relatively high loading strength but which is also simple to manufacture and offers design flexibility for varying applications.
In considering loading strength one important factor is the stress concentration at the point where the tangs bifurcate from the shaft. In accordance with the present invention, one of the tangs has been chosen to be formed integrally with the shaft as a cold formed extension of the shaft. The other tang is welded to the shaft adjacent the point of bifurcation.
The prior art illustrates a clevis of the design thus far described in the patent to Roby, U.S. Pat. No. 2,696,998. However, in Roby the weld occurs at the vertex defined by the juncture of the tangs. The weld occurs at the most stress vulnerable point and thus it appears that the loading capability of the Roby clevis is limited by this feature.
Other references which show various clevis embodiments and are of general interest in this context are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,157,713; 2,022,801; 2,527,479; 4,196,642; and 4,365,909.